Beautiful Ghost
by Posie Jones
Summary: Hester Lane, previously a student in America until a bizarre series of events leads her to- well, wherever she is now. Fortunately, she has Kisame there to straighten things out.


Kis L S

Ch 1

Hester Lane sat in her tenth grade homeroom, bored to tears. And to ice the cake, the room was abusively cold. She assumed the teachers took the false idea that c'old stimulated thinking' to heart and left the air on full-blast. Whoever had come up with that bogus idea was a dick.

She leaned back in her plastic, wrap-around desk and breathed out, hoping to give the teacher a hint that she was bored already. Hester's black Keds didn't touch the ground as she swung her feet. She blamed the "large" desk, but in reality, she was just sensitive about her height. Her green eyes flashed bottled energy as she contained herself. She hated standardized testing. The green posts in her ears applied a slight pressure, reminding her that they were present, their flower shape almost irrelevant to her situation.

The PSATs were one of the most pointless things she had ever come across. Basically, it was a test to see how much they could confuse the reader. Her point was proven when she was finally "permitted" to open the book and begin testing.

The entire basis of the test was to take the reader on a wild goose chase for the answer, when, with better wording and a bit more straightforwardness, the answer was staring said reader in the face.

'Honestly.' Hester thought, aggravatedly, as she bubbled in the correct answer. She knew it was correct, because she was _not_ about to be fooled by the test's uppity, pompous words.

Out of everything she possessed, her mind was the one thing she held absolute confidence in. With the IQ of 207, it wasn't difficult to push out constant A's. Although, with her parents constantly nagging her to keep the sensational academic level a secret, she settled for straight B's. She didn't mind, though. All B's meant no effort. Really, all A's meant the same thing, B's were really just carelessness. She wasn't complaining.

After fifteen minutes, Hester had completed the twenty-four problems, ready to sit in silent contemplation for the next ten minutes. She closed her yellow-green eyes, shielded behind large, Ray-Band like prescription glasses, and crossed her hands over her flat stomach. Sure, she was skinny by most standards, but then again, skinny in America was average in Europe. Hester was _not_ one to skip a meal. That said, her weight was considered 'underweight' for her height of five-two. Weighing in at one-oh-two, she was a lightweight, approaching the appearance of, but not resembling, twig. A comfortable size two.

Hester pushed her thick, smoothly wavy bangs back from her forehead, just wanting this day to be over. She opened her leafy eyes and glanced down at her shirt. Black, men's cut, the front plastered with the logo of some competition she had been in ages ago, tucked into a pair of baggy blue jeans, rolled up at the ends to expose sinfully pale legs, slightly marred by scars from who-knows-where.

'Christ, just someone, end this day,' Hester lifted her wrist to her reclined face, only to remember she left her watch at home.

'Shit. Some bitch.'

Hester's ghostly face contorted into an expression of aggravation. All she wanted to do was get the stupid tests over with so she could finish reading her book that she wasn't even supposed to read.

Yes, she stole her parent's books. No, she didn't regret it at all.

She came from averagely smart parents, their IQs resting somewhere in the one-tens or twenties. What a surprise she was. She had long past formed the habit of stealing books, desperate for reading material that didn't consist of the trivial, petty teenage drama and the subdued, remedial vocabulary, a foreign word thrown in there every so often with an insulting asterisk providing a definition at the bottom. No, Hester had had enough of that bullshit. So, to her parents library she went, secretly devouring books left and right. Of course, she redecorated the books with the rudimentary teenage-level book covers as to keep suspicion out of her parents mindset.

A sudden hubbub in the classroom next door startled everyone.

Hester heard voices, two of them, speaking loudly, she couldn't decipher what exactly they were saying- something- something about a girl.

Hester's heart picked up pace, growing nervous, feeling the chilly hand of fear stroking her back, the sides of her face.

Her mind was a highway with no speed limit, thoughts raced through, crashed into one another, killed another off, drove off the bridge of consciousness. One inflated until it was the only prevailing entity in her mind.

'What are you going to do?'

Hester's palms began to sweat, and her short legs began to tap made-up rhythms onto the floor.

The sound had escalated, and at this point no one was paying any attention to the pointless test.

"Where is she?"

It rang clearly through the classroom, assaulting Hester's sensitive ears.

The teacher rose as "stealthily" as an over-weight middle age man could, and locked the door to the classroom.

"Um, ok, no need to panic.. Just- everyone get under your desks. Now."

'Well, that didn't sound urgent at all.'

Nevertheless, she got under her desk and leaned her petite figure against her chair and one of the desk legs, trying to find a comfortable position. Her semi-long, strawberry blonde hair was doubled up into a thick, swirling bun, one straggling piece fell, barely reaching the bottom of her flat chest.

'Fucking double-A's.' Hester thought erroneously. She pinned her bangs off her forehead, letting them arch over like a wave towards the back of her head. She could care less, she might be dying in the next few minutes anyways. Whatever.

As if triggered by the random mental outburst, the door to the classroom was pounded, the door-handle shaking as a strong force on the opposite side attempted to enter.

One of the softer females uttered a high-pitched squeal.

Hester pinched the bridge of her nose above her glasses, un-believing of the stupidity that existed in gratuitous amounts all around her. Letting the nervous habit get the best of her, she adjusted the position of the glasses, seating them on the indent of her nose.

A loud bang came from the other side of the door, and more screams were uttered, Hester managed to contain her own.

The door flew off its hinges and shattered the wall like glass. Hester blinked, setting sight upon the intruders.

Two men, one tall, the other taller. Black cloaks with red swirling clouds, straw hats hid their faces, but she could swear the taller one had a blue tint to his face. The suspicion was confirmed when she saw his hands.

'What in the hell?'

"Hester Lane, where are you?"

Hester felt life leave her, and she slumped against the chair, an empty shell. Her wide green eyes blinked behind her wide glasses, she found herself speechless. Her loose jeans managed to hide her shaking legs, and the men's cut t-shirt hid her heaving chest.

"Hester, show yourself."

All eyes were on her. Her fearful classmates accusing glares bore into her, and that alone gave her the ability to stand.

"I- I don't know who you are, or why you're here, but please- please, I didn't do a-anything."

The man with the eerie blue skin was in front of her in a flash. Hester blinked incredulously, still trying to figure out how he had managed to appear in front of her without taking a step forward.

In a sudden movement, the man had swept her off the ground and held her securely in his arms. She struggled, but he seemed to posses in-human strength. Her throat was barren, dry, unusable. Despite this, she continued to struggle, growling lightly as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Be still." He growled, and everything went dark.

Hester's eyes were the first thing to move, fluttering open, then squinting as her pupils dilated in the harsh light that shown in spears through the- trees?

She sat up quickly, only to be pushed down by a harsh hand. With no effort, it pinned her to the ground, holding her captive.

"What the- Let me go! Now!" She slapped the hand as hard as she could, and only succeeded in hurting herself. She balled the hand into a fast and clenched her teeth, waiting for the stinging sensation to pulse away.

For the first time, she got a clear look at one of her captors. Blue skin, shark-like eyes and teeth, gills..?, navy hair swept upward by a darker blue headband that had four blue squiggles and a slash through it.

'Blue hair? Really?' She thought off-handedly.

"Don't move, you're being irritating." He muttered.

"Irritating? Well, at least I don't dye my hair a ridiculous color!" Hester retorted, fear being replaced by anger. The hand that held her down pushed harder, making her gasp out.

"I don't dye this, stupid girl." The man hissed, revealing the sharp teeth.

Hester rolled her eyes. "Alright then, what in the _hell_ is up with that stupid get-up?"

She gestured to his face.

The man's face fell from agitation to slight confusion.

"This is natural. Why are you not frightened?"

Hester was asking herself the same question.

"I- I don't know. Why did you kidnap me?"

The man smirked, making Hester feel uncomfortable. "Leader-Sama said we were to find you, since your intelligence has made itself known to us in this world.

'This world? This is a bunch of shit.'

Hester pushed herself up, the man finally permitting her to do so. She ran a hand through her hair-

"What the hell?" She said aloud.

She pulled a lock out and it was- pure white. Hester dropped it and cried out in surprise, then cursed herself for her feebleness.

"I- What's going on? Why is my hair white?"

"Transformation between worlds is normal." He said nonchalantly.

Hester sprang up, completely bewildered now.

"I need a mirror. Do you-? Never mind, I'll use the river."

Before he could utter a word she was off towards the sound of a trickling stream.

Hester ran to the riverbed, peering into the pool, and cried out.

Staring back at her was someone completely different, not even human- or at least a far-off representation of a human.

Thick, wavy white hair ties up in the same, haphazard bun, same Way-Farer glasses, small nose, wide pink mouth.. She looked _animated_.

She touched her face, paler than it was before, and blinked her, now purple-blue, eyes.

"Oh my god." She whispered, feeling dizzy.

Before she could come to terms with what had happened, the man picked her up harshly once more.

Glancing at his face, she realized he looked a lot like she did, the same strange appearance.

He looked down at her blankly. "We have to go."

Hester ripped herself from his grasp, and she knew he let her do so.

"Wait- I need answers. Now."

The man sighed, realizing that unless she got what she wanted, he would be here all day.

"Where are we?"

"The forest, on out way to the Akatsuki lair."

"What's Akastuki?"

"Criminal organization."

'I've been kidnapped by criminals? Shit.'

"Well- if its ransom you're looking for, my parents can't pay it."

"We want you, not money."

'Me?'

"Well- why do I look like- this?"

"Because you're in a different world."

Hester snorted. "Really? Explain."

"Leader-Sama created a jutsu where we could travel from this world to another, and we came there because we had heard of you intellectual prowess, and came to get you."

Hester fixed her glasses, "Christ.. Where's the other guy?"

"On his way back. We are leaving now."

He pulled her along beside him.

"Hey! I can walk, you know."

Grudgingly, the man released her.

"One more question."

"What?" She heard the irritation in his voice.

"What's your name?"

"Kisame Hoshigake."

"Huh."

The rest of the walk was silent, and Hester began feeling the same fear creep back into her, claiming her senses once more. The moment where fear had been abandoned was surprising, and she wondered why it had happened. It had started with a- warm feeling. When she had looked at the man's face- Kisame's face. He was, she hated to admit it, handsome- in a weird way. Back in her world, there had been few boys she had ever liked, and had not acted upon any of them.

It was bizarre, but she had already taken a strange liking to this man. The man that kidnapped her, and was bringing her to the leader of a criminal organization of who-knows-what.

The two arrived at the mouth of a large cave, and Hester felt her knees go weak under her.

"Ah, that's the lair?"

Kisame nodded, forcing her forward. She resisted, and he slung her up like one would a small child. In fact, she _was_ a small child.

After a brief struggle, Hester was completely immobile, trapped beneath two behemoth arms that exerted bone-crushing force.

'How the hell is this guy so strong?' She thought bitterly.

He entered through a foreboding door, and the two stood- well, he stood, before a dimly lit desk and figure.

"Leader-Sama, we have successfully captured Hester Lane."

Hester jumped flinched her restraints when she heard another voice from her right. A man with long black hair pulled into a ponytail and red eyes spoke.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, sick of people popping up everywhere.

"Silence." The man at the desk spoke. "You are lucky to be alive."

"Ha, yeah right, you need me, apparently."

Kisame squeezed her, and she felt something snap- a rib, she thought.

Hester froze, trying to minimize the pain by restricting the movement of the area. She uttered a soft cry, trying to hold back screams.

"You have two choices. You either stay here and serve us or die a slow death."

"Sure, sure, stay here. Of course." She muttered, trying to breathe shallow breaths, not wanting to puncture a lung. Tears were building in her eyes, she was completely curled into a ball.

It might have been her imagination, but Kisame seemed to be trying to position her in a way where pain would be minimal.

"Very well. Your cloak." The man, face mostly obscured by harsh shadows extended a hand with a cloak that resembled Kisame's and the man beside her.

Hester tried to put on a brave face and take it, but as soon as she moved an arm, pain shot through her entire body in alarming extensity.

"Oh-" It escaped her lips, and instantly she cursed herself for appearing so weak. There was no way she would concede defeat like that. With a shaking hand, she tried to grasp the cloak, but it slipped through her weakened fingers, and was caught by Kisame.

"Kisame."

"Yes, Leader-Sama?"

"Fix her."

And with that, the man turned his back on them, exposing a shock of orange hair.

Hester was too pre-occupied to take note.

In a flash, they were sitting in a room with some sort of primitive gurney and what seemed to be shelves of medical supplies.

Kisame set her down softly, but consequentially received a cry of pain from her.

Something about it tore at his hardened heart, it made him go soft. He hated it.

Kisame pushed her back onto the gurney, stretching her out flat to enable him to heal the wound.

Hester screamed out in pain, chest heaving rapidly.

Kisame shut his eyes, hating the sound of it. What was the matter with him? He steeled himself, pushing her back into the gurney, earning another cry of pain.

Hester's eyes were shut tight, her fists and jaw clenched, nails digging into the flesh of her palms.

"Stop struggling." He muttered, and pulled her black shirt up, exposing a perfectly white stomach, the coloration destroyed by a dark blue and purple splotch on her ribcage. He felt guilty, an emotion so unused by him it felt almost rusty. Like he had to brush the dust off of it.

"Hold on." He focused his chakra onto the dark spot, feeling the bones rapidly knitting and the torn muscle healing.

Hester felt the sharp pain ebb away, and breathed out in relief.

"Hah- thank you."

Kisame just grunted and left her. Something about her, it was- alluring. He had to fight himself for control of his instincts, and right now, he was losing. He had to get away before he did something- rash.

He slammed the door shut to his room, releasing only a fraction of his pent up emotion.

Hester slid off the table, touching the spot that, only moments ago, had brought so much pain.

'This is getting weird- too weird.'

She stared at the cloak, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do with it.

'Wear it, I guess…'

Awkwardly, she shouldered it on, letting it hang open in the front. It wasn't nearly as hot as it looked, she could swear she even felt a breeze.

'Okay then.. I guess this means I should go look around.'

She didn't bother toying with the idea of running away, what with everyone's uncanny ability to pop up out of nowhere, not to mention their inhuman strength. No, she would stay here until a better opportunity presented itself.

Or until she could work out a plan.

The Akatsuki lair was a bit more homely than it looked on the outside, but still, it was a cave. There's only so much comfort one can feel in a cave.

Hester considered calling out 'Hello', but then again, this was a criminal organization, and, well, criminals are not friendly by nature.

Absentmindedly, she sat down at a long wooden table, noticing a plate of half-eaten food at the far end.

'So there's someone here besides me and those three.' She speculated.

"Hello? Who's this, un?"

Hester jumped, and spun, coming face-to-face with a stranger.

"God! What is it with you people and popping up?"

The man laughed, his long blonde hair shimmering in the light at the movement.

"Calm down, hm, you must be the Brain everyone's talking about, yeah."

"Brain?"

The man smiled. "Yeah, un, Leader-Sama was talking about this girl with a great mind, hm, and word spread, yeah."

"What's with the- the 'uns' and 'hms'?"

The man looked at her oddly.

"What do you mean, un?"

Hester shook her head. "Never mind."

He extended a hand. "I'm Deidara, hm."

"Uh, Hester." She shook his hand hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of this man.

Hester turned to leave, completely weirded-out, when another presence made itself known.

"Tobi's _hungry_. Deidara-Sempai, make me something good!"

A man with an orange swirling mask and dark hair suddenly clung to the blonde man she had just turned from. Judging by the one visible eye on Deidara, he was perturbed.

"Tobi! Get off! You know I hate that."

"Ohh, who's this, Dei-Sempai?"

The masked man took Hester's face in his hands and turned it from side to side, disregarding her attempts to shake him off. Apparently, he too possessed inhuman strength.

"Hester- will you please?"

The masked man brought her into a jubilant hug.

"Tobi isTobi!"

"Uh, great, now please, let go."

Hester brushed her disheveled hair back as he released her. She was ready to leave.

'Isn't this supposed to be a criminal organization? More like a mad house…'

"What the fuck is all this noise out here! Bitches are going to get plowed, I swear."

A man with silvery hair stalked out, and apparently he was forgetting a shirt, his bare chest was an odd shade of grey, revealed by his open cloak.

He ran a hand through his slicked-back hair, an annoyed expression on his face. What drew Hester's attention, though, was the enormous, double bladed scythe that rested on his back.

"Hidan! There's a new friend!"

Hidan looked at her.

"Great, another woman."

'There's a woman here? Thank god.'

"When I heard about the Brain, I expected a woman, not a- kid."

Hester felt herself flare up. "Oh really? And what do you mean by that, bitch?"

Hidan smirked. "Exactly what I said, fucker."

Hester stormed across, ready to annihilate the man.

"Woaaah there, Hester, bad idea." She was pulled back by Deidara.

"Well, I would've." Hester muttered, shooting Hidan an ugly glare.

After that, she was practically paraded through the house, meeting the entire eclectic gang of criminals. The only other woman, Konan, reminded Hester of one of her friends back home, and took an instant liking to her. The other man that had accompanied Kisame was Itachi. He was- quiet, but in a tolerable way.

Zetsu was one of the single most oddest people she had ever met. Obsessed with plants, and appeared to be half-plant himself, constantly arguing with his other half.

Kakuzu and her had the same start that she and Hidan did, a fight. She was sure that she would _not_ like either one of them.

Sasori was apparently half-puppet, which was queer, but Hester wasn't one to judge.

"And that's it, yeah!" Deidara said, treating her to another smile.

Hester smiled back, taking to him already.

She was shocked at herself, at how quickly she had accepted the fact that she was in another world, taken in by an apparently notorious group of villains, and had possibly developed feelings for one of them. It was so confusing, it drove Hester insane. Although, she commended herself for fairing so well. She very well could be in hysterics or tears.

'I probably should be…'

It was her quirky differences that made it easier, though. Since birth, she had been the odd one out. She blamed it on her high IQ, although it was really just an excuse. Innately, she was just an odd person, who secretly longed for something like this to happen. While the rest of her friends were talking about boys, she would be talking about dimensions and the time travel. It was her queerness that made it all the more easy to adapt to this situation. In a way, her prayers had been answered- in a _very_ odd, off-base way.

In fact, she was almost, dare she say, happy with the change. Deep down, she had desired to do something risky, interesting, to be whisked away on some sort of wild adventure, one that was only told in books. In short, she was, shockingly, happy.

"Well, where do I stay?" She asked, visibly brightening.

"An empty room, hm." Deidara stated plainly.

Hester smiled. "Alright."

Hester roamed the hallway, knocking on door, listening for any occupants within them. Deidara watched her, a strange expression on his face. Hester took no notice, too preoccupied with the search for a room. He turned and left, a brooding expression resting comfortably on his dark face.

She awoke the next morning, momentarily forgetting where she was.

'Oh- oh. Right.' The initial panic set in. What was she thinking? She had to get out of here. There were bad people about.

She knew, though, that she would settle down after the initial shock, and she did.

Hester was brought out of her inner mantra by a low-pitched growl of her stomach.

'Right. Even in this world, food is a must.'

Rolling out of bed like she had every morning, she trudged into the bathroom adjoined to her new room, and looked in the mirror, seeing that she was unchanged from yesterday. The wide-set, indigo eyes, pale flawless skin, white hair that fell in feathery locks. It was different, but- beautiful. She didn't have to do a thing, no make up, nothing. She held her arms out, examining her figure in the mirror. Slimmer, that's for sure, although not by much, but enough to look like a model. She whipped her hair into the trade-mark bun, pinning the bangs back loosely, letting them make a distinct arch before disappearing under the pin.

Unfortunately, the transformation had also affected her height. She estimated it at around five-oh now, two inches dropped.

'Fucking great.'

Pulling on her black shirt and baggy, rolled up blue jeans, she slid the cloak on and stepped out the door in her Keds. The light pat-pat-pat sound she made with each step rebounded off the stone walls and made it sound as if an entire army of Hesters were storming the hallway.

She entered the kitchen, helping herself to the fridge, trying to find something edible looking, which was a challenge.

Hester had decided once and for all, that she was going to live here and enjoy it, damn it. She wasn't going to let anything interfere with her happiness, not even this. On the plus side, it meant she never had to sit through another pointless, aggravating standardized test again.

Grabbing what appeared to be a fruit of some sort,

'What the hell is this thing?'

She seated herself at the table, only then realizing there was someone sitting next to her.

"K-Kisame! When did you get here?"

"Since a couple seconds ago."

Hester brushed it off, and got comfortable.

"So, Kisame, what's going on today? What am I doing?"

Out of the testing environment, Hester could be very easy going and cordial. It was almost comical how much her mood changed when she was in a classroom.

Kisame slurped at his bowl of broth. "I'm in charge of training you for your purpose."

"Which is…?""You're going to be a scout."

Hester let the words sit.

"So, what will I be doing as a scout?"

Kisame sipped again. "You will accompany us into the field and work on researching the participants in the battles about to commence, along with serve as a field expert on the grounds of plants and animals. You are one of few capable of such, which is why Leader-Sama needed you."

Hester nodded, taking a bite into the fruit. It was bitter-sweet, the tantalizing flavor bouncing off her tongue.

"And this training starts when?"

"When you are finished eating." He stood and emptied his bowl into the sink behind them.

Hester nodded, stuffing the last of the fruit into her mouth.

"Leff gou." She managed to choke out, the fruit almost falling out of her mouth.

Kisame suppressed a smile and led the way to the largest room in the cave.

It was truly enormous, and Hester's height only exaggerated the extensity of the room.

"So. What now?"

"Come at me." Kisame said, standing eighteen feet away from her.

Hester was about to speak, then thought better of it. Steeling herself, she charged, her shoes smacking the ground in procession.

She threw a punch, which was easily caught by Kisame, and in a blur she found herself on the ground, underneath him.

She flushed a light shade of pink, having him so close. He sensed her discomfort, and got off, letting her stand.

"You're very weak." He stated.

"Yeah, I know that." Hester huffed out, angry at herself for being so.

"To be a scout, you need basic self-defense. Again." He said.

Hester summoned herself, and ran at him, ice-cold intensity pooling in her eyes.

"Take this!" She shouted, and lashed out, aiming for his face. It disappeared, replaced by a hand that seemed to snatch her wrist out of thin air and bring her into a hard surface, clutching her tightly, rendering her helpless.

"Is that all you've got?" He snarled.

Hester's boiling point was about to be reached.

She elbowed him, colliding with a rock hard torso. Frowning, she tried to spin around and slug him, only to be restrained by his arms. Her glasses fell down the bridge of her nose.

"God, will you at least give me a chance?"

"Will rouge ninja's that catch you give you a chance."

She answered with another vicious attempt to break free of him, another failed attempt.

Hester fought against him, but she was dealt with as easily as a small animal. It was completely hopeless.

Finally, she gave up, leaning against his stomach, looking at the opposite wall. "Fine. You win."

Kisame laughed deeply. "You would be long dead by now." He released her, and Hester silently hoped he couldn't see the light blush that streaked her cheeks, although with her skin tone, it was most likely extremely prominent.

"You possess minimal chakra, so ninjutsu is out of the question. Taijutsu, however, is an option that we are forced to take. Although, without chakra, it will be difficult, therefore, I will teach you basic self defense.

Hester sighed, already disheartened. She pushed up her glasses.

"Sure." She was already forgetting what he told her. Fighting was not something she was ever good at, or at least not with fists. Hester viewed herself as more of a verbal fighter, her plethora of words was her armor and weapons.

"Position you hands like this." Kisame said, showing her how to hold them.

Hester tried, unused to these odd motions.

"Now strike outwards."

Hester tried to do as he did, but only succeeded in hurting her arm.

Kisame breathed out, taking her arms in his hands.

"This way." He forced them together, and thrust it outwards, creating a surprisingly effective punch.

"Ow, jeez, Kisame that hurts." Hester wriggled out of his grasp, rubbing the spots where he had grabbed her, fighting the furious blush that threatened to ruin her.

"Sorry." Kisame muttered, waiting for her to try the punch on her own.

Hester tried several times, each attempt worse than its predecessor. It was pathetic.

Kisame felt himself grow agitated with her, this weak outsider that was suddenly thrust on him. How could he make a fighter out of someone such as- her? A small, aggravatingly weak individual with no concept of how to fight. Kisame knew he should be angered, be punishing her, but he couldn't bring himself to. Despite everything, she was strangely fascinating, someone Kisame would die to know.

"Again."

Hester fell into bed, wincing at her bruises and cuts. It had been a grueling six hours. She had used muscles she had never used before, that she didn't even know she possessed.

She groaned lightly, throwing an arm over her pallid face.

'Tomorrow will be different.' She lied to herself.

Kisame laid in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, refusing to come to terms with his new feelings. He figured he could treat it like a flesh wound. Completely ignore it until it fixed itself. Although, it would leave a scar if left untreated. And it would still hurt, no matter how well he ignored it.

He rolled over, staring out the small cut-out in his wall, watching the moon, and the clouds that seemed to skim its surface.

Today in training, when he had held her to him, it had been difficult to keep his primal self under-control, but he had managed, somehow. It was almost gratifying to know he had power over her, that he was superior. He supposed this was his testosterone doing the thinking, but he let it progress as it pleased. It was all he could do to keep himself occupied with his thoughts, to keep himself from crossing the hallway to her room.

Kisame was well aware that one day, he would crack, but until that day, he would continue upholding his iron wall.

Hester thought, for the first time, of her family and friends back home. She wondered how her parents were fairing, losing their daughter. Her friends were likely upset. Hester missed them in some section of her brain, but right now her thoughts were- occupied. By a certain blue male. Training with him today had been interesting, but, secretly, she was elated that it was going to happen again tomorrow. Hester was at a loss for a reason why she liked him so, but she did. She absolutely liked this man, and that was that. It was different from what she had felt for a few other boys back home, this was- intense, as if, by her not acting on it, it would eat her alive.

Hester closed her eyes and revisited that moment when he had held her to him, and had shown her how to fight.

1 month later

Hester bounded out of bed, sliding on her glasses, almost skidding into the kitchen. She wolfed down her breakfast and went to meet Kisame in the practice room. Sure enough, he was waiting for her in the middle of the room, as he had every day. She had grown to love these practices, even though she was going nowhere. It was nice, just being with Kisame. Although he was mostly stiff, she could see pieces of him shine through every so often, and they were beautiful.

Without a word, he ran at her, swift as lightning. Hester barely had time to react, moving enough so that she didn't take the full blow, just clipping her shoulder, which was enough to knock her to the ground.

She opened her eyes, seeing nothing but Kisame.

"We have a long ways to go." He muttered, mostly to himself as he helped her up. It was the first time he had ever helped her up, Hester noted. She felt she was making progress.

'Progress with what?' She thought. 'You know what.'

Hester stood across from Kisame, one hand on her knee, the other arm clasped around her midsection, she panted heavily.

"K-Kisame, I don't think I can take much more."

He breathed out, working on controlling the Neanderthal inside him that wanted to pounce on her right now.

He closed his eyes, breathing in, but all he could smell was her.

"Fine. We'll break for ten minutes."

Hester breathed in relief, falling flat on her back, gratefully accepting the cool sensation of the floor.

After the first week of being with this girl, Kisame had, angrily, admitted to himself that he wanted her for himself. It was selfish, he digressed, but completely true.

Kisame forced himself to look away, told himself over and over that he couldn't have her.

But how he wanted her.

"Ugh, if self-defense is this hard, I think I'd rather be taken captive."

Kisame suppressed another smile.

He listened to Hester breathe in and out, watched her small chest rise and fall as she caught her breath, and the strength returned to her, bit by bit.

Looking at her, her color contrasted against the black cloak and shirt, the dark floor, she looked like a ghost.

'A beautiful ghost.' His mind commented.

Hester sighed after a few minutes, pushing her glasses up, sitting cross-legged.

"So, Kisame, what about you? I mean, its been a whole month and I don't know anything about you. What's the deal with the whole-" She gestured silently to her whole face, making a circular motion with her hand.

"I was born this way."

"Uh _huh_. Well, what's the deal with that huge sword you always carry?"

Kisame's gaze flashed to his Samehada.

"It's Samehada. It eats chakra and shaves skin." Was all he had to say.

Hester felt a bit startled by the maliciousness of the sword.

"Oh."

The mood fell serious.

"Well, I guess the only big thing about me is that my IQ is 207, and I like reading."

Kisame looked her square in the face, making Hester feel nervous.

"Interesting."

Hester looked off to the side.

Kisame cursed at himself for being so awkward.

"I- I like fish." He managed to push out.

Hester laughed once at the randomness of the comment.

"Me too." She said, laughing lightly.

Kisame stood suddenly. "We're going back to work."

"But it hasn't been ten minutes." Hester challenged.

Kisame only looked at her. Immediately she stood.

By the end of the afternoon, she had actually progressed, although she was still drastically weaker than him.

Kisame had to make a decision. Teaching her self-defense was like beating a dead horse. It was going nowhere. It couldn't be helped, she would just be sent with a guard, namely himself. He hated that he cared, but he didn't trust her with anyone else.

When he told her that she was done with self-defense, the reaction was satisfactory, elation.

"So, does this mean I can start learning now? No more fighting?"

Kisame nodded, trying to keep a stoic expression. "But you will have to be guarded at all times."

Hester grinned, repositioning her glasses. "No problem."

Kisame looked at her, committed the beaming face to memory. Hester smiled again, looking at him questioningly.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

Kisame felt himself grow flustered.

"I- no- I- you should begin reading. I will show you the room."

Hester linked a hand through his, feeling his warm palm close around her. Her heart leaped into her throat as he closed his hand around hers, she could barely manage to walk beside him.

They came to an extensive library, and Hester nearly died.

"This is the library?"

Kisame nodded. Hester stepped forward, comically amazed at the sheer enormity of the space, and the multitude of books that stared her in the face.

"Holy shit."

Kisame smiled, unseen to her. Watching the girl in front of him, how funny, in a way, she was over the books, it reminded him of why he was in love with her.

"I have to go." He said, sounding colder than he meant to.

Hester looked at him, falsely cheerful.

"Alright, thanks."

Kisame tore himself away, feeling guilty. There it was again, guilty. That reoccurring emotion that was spurred only by her. The things she was doing to him scared him, but he tried to brave it out, knowing that the costs were far outweighed by the benefits.

Hester watched him go, feeling saddened.

After six hours, Hester rubbed her eyes from under her glasses, sore from reading so much. Although, the amount of information she had taken in was substantial. She had learned a good three-fourths of the indigenous plant species, edible flowers, non-edible flowers, and almost every type of animal that could possibly be roaming the forest. She flipped open to another book, this one on the different types of jutsu.

Deidara passed the room, stepping in for a quick peek.

"Hey, un, whatcha doing, hm?"

Hester looked up drowsily and smiled.

"Nothing much, just learning."

Deidara smiled and sat on the edge of the desk.

Hester wondered why it wasn't Deidara that she was in love with. The warmer, kinder male in her life.

It felt good to talk to someone after reading for so long. The chatter escalated to much needed laughs. Kisame passed the room, glancing in on the scene. It was difficult to look at. It hurt. He looked away, walking briskly into his room and roughly shutting the door.

Hester leaned back in her chair, laughing lightly.

"Ah, I need this."

Deidara grinned. "Same here."

Hester closed her eyes, smiling softly, when she was interrupted. Two lips came crashing down on her pale pink ones, and it snapped her back into reality. She tried to push him away, but was met with steely resistance.

He grabbed her wrists and held them tightly, pinning her legs with one of his. Hester struggled against him, wishing she was stronger, wishing she could have learned more from Kisame, wishing he was here.

'Kisame, where are you?'

Deidara was firm, his hands exploring her in her entirety. She felt cold primal panic sweep over her, and tried to use what Kisame had taught her, failing miserably.

She could feel Deidara smile coldly against her lips.

Grabbing both her shoulders, he kissed her deeper, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Hester shut her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself down so she could think.

'Damn it, why the hell didn't I listen to Kisame when he was training me?'

Reacting, Hester bit down hard, making Deidara pull out of her mouth and glare at her. She was _not_ going to let him win.

"Kisame!" She called desperately, before Deidara fell back on her, trying to silence her. His hand snaked up her shirt, climbing upwards.

"Kisame!" Was what jolted him out of his sulking stupor.

Immediately, he was at his door, listening for anything further.

Silence. Horrible silence.

Racing towards Hester, scenarios ran through his mind, torturing him.

He reached the door, and almost saw red.

Deidara hovered over her, pinning her to the floor, one hand up her shirt, the other holding her captive.

"I'll kill you!" Kisame roared, charging towards Deidara.

Deidara was already up, ready to fight. Kisame was fueled completely by rage, adrenaline pulsing through his veins giving him that much more power. He easily threw Deidara, sending him flying through the door of his room.

He was about to give chase, finish the job when his thoughts fell back to Hester. She looked up at him from under her white hair and glasses, violet-blue eyes gazing at him.

Silently, she crossed to Kisame, hugging him tightly around his neck, burying her face into his skin.

Kisame's rage immediately dissipated, leaving only one lingering emotion. Love.

He clutched her tightly, reassuring himself that she was alright.

"I was wondering why he was so nice." Hester mumbled into his collar.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

"Guess you cant always trust the kind ones, huh."

"No. You can't."

They stayed like that for a while, and Kisame promised himself that he would be on guard from now on. No one would ever touch his beautiful ghost.

The next day was tense. Kisame was like Hester's satellite, constantly keeping watch over her. She had to admit, she was amazed at the transition Kisame had made. Deidara was nowhere to be seen, but the door had mysteriously mended itself.

Hester kept to her books all day, ravenously devouring each one, grabbing for another. By the weeks end, she was an encyclopedia of knowledge about the field and jutsu. After an hour-long quizzing session from Pein, the Leader, he dubbed her ready for scouting duty. It was shocking, how much she had learned. On a mock-expedition, she was able to point out which plants were safe to eat, track animals back to their dens, and properly classify each type of jutsu the members preformed.

Hester felt a bubbling pride in her work, it felt good to be useful, that was certain.

"That's night lock, very poisonous, not to be eaten."

"And this?"

"Wild mint-leaf, good for fresh breath- in fact-" Hester pulled a leaf from the plant and popped it into her mouth, smiling. Kisame returned it.

Something strange had happened since the incident with Deidara. Kisame had been more- open. Kinder, even. Hester felt like she was walking on air.

"I'm going on a mission tomorrow, but Leader-Sama needs you here."

Hester smiled. "It's alright. I'll survive. Konan isn't all that bad."

Hester sat in Konan's room. Konan wasn't bad at all. It was refreshing to talk to someone of her own sex. Konan was very calm, very composed. Hester had nothing but admiration for her, wishing she could bear a bit of resemblance to her in that aspect.

"So, Hester. You and Kisame, what's going on between you two?" Konan smiled knowingly.

Hester's white face reddened visibly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. He's just- guarding."

Konan raised a blue eyebrow. "Guarding? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well.. Last week, when I was researching, Deidara came in and started talking to me, which is absolutely fine, but then, he tried to.." Hester trailed off, giving Konan a look. "Even after I tried to stop him. Kisame saved me, really."

Konan looked shocked, angry even. "Deidara did _what_?"

"It's ok, It's all resolved now, Kisame took care of it."

Konan looked out her door at the blonde, currently in the kitchen, trying his best to ignore Tobi.

Hester looked from Konan to Deidara, wondering what was going to happen next. Subconsciously, she fixed her glasses.

"Just stay away from him." Konan said lowly.

Hester laughed once. "Don't have to tell me twice."

The two women slowly fell back into pleasant chatter, but Hester had that same underlying feeling she had a week ago when Deidara first came onto her that something was going to go wrong. Something was going to happen, and there would be no Kisame to save her. Hester knew she had to read up a bit more. Read up on-

'What? What can you do? You're defenseless without Kisame.'

Hester tried to convince herself that she was wrong, that Kisame would come back before anything drastic happened.

Deidara glanced at her, and his look said everything.

Hester felt hopeless.

She lay in bed, apprehensive, wondering when Deidara would decide to come for her.

Her glasses rested on the side table, catching the moonlight.

Hester felt angry at herself.

'If I wasn't so weak, Kisame wouldn't have to worry about me so much. God damn it, I hate this! This- this sitting and waiting for him to come for me! I need to do something, damn it.'

Hester rolled out of bed, slipping the glasses onto her face, able to see once more.

After pacing around the room once, she retired to the side of her bed, despair clutching at her heart.

As if on cue, the door to her room opened, and she looked away, trying to conceal her rising fear. She hated that she was so afraid, so weak. A hand placed itself on her back, and she jumped, ready to fight for all she was worth. She jumped up, fist ready, aimed at- Kisame?

"Kisame?" She whispered. "Wha- I thought you were on a mission."

He didn't say anything, only pulled her into him. "I- was worried. I didn't trust Deidara. Judging by your reaction, you didn't either."

Hester just fell apart, suddenly, feeling so needy, so feeble, she clung to him, relief mixing in with bottled wants.

Kisame knew he was at his breaking point, and simply gave up.

He kissed her, hard, as he had wanted to do for the past month.

Hester froze for a moment, shocked at the turn of events, but- pleased. Very pleased.

She kissed, back tentatively at first. She felt his hands roam over her torso, and she didn't object, not even when he pulled her shirt over her head, breaking the kiss for a split second. He threw his cloak to the ground, kicking his shoes onto the ground, the door slammed shut.

He pulled her glasses off, leaving her completely helpless, putty in his hands. She trusted him.

Hester pulled his headband off, dropping it next to her glasses on the nightstand.

Kisame looked at her, looked at his beautiful ghost, softly illuminated by the silvery moonlight. Without her glasses, she was a different person. Sophisticated, elegant, still equally as beautiful. She was so young, and it shown in her face, the wide eyes, innocent smile. All his.

Kisame held her face in his hands, loving the way her cheeks turned pink, _he _made them change their color. He felt gratified, he loved the influence he held over her, he loved the reckless abandon that only he could conjure in her, he loved the soft, doe-like responses she gave to his touch. He loved that she was already his.

Hester sat on the side of the bed, head tilted up to reach his taller figure. He placed a knee on the bed, Hester ran a light hand up the side of his leg, making him lean farther in, wanting more. She ghosted a hand over the gills on his cheeks, he ran a hand up her thigh, using the space as leverage as he leaned in farther, pushing her onto her back. The sheets fluttered as her head hit them, rustling slightly.

Kisame easily climbed on top of her, a knee on either side of her waist. He rested a hand on her bare chest, the other next to her head, keeping him hovering above her. He could feel her heart beating at a sinfully fast rate, he smirked, aware that it was his doing. Hester's breath hitched in her throat, she was numb under him, all she could concentrate on was his hand resting there on her chest. It was amazingly warm, sending shivers down her spine.

Carefully, she reached out a hand, touching the rough skin of his chest. It felt like a sharks. Hester ran a hand over it, feeling the layers of muscle beneath, the papery skin on top a comfortably warm temperature. Stone-like muscles flexed over her as he took each breath, her hand traveled up, along his arm, feeling the tendons, the tissues, all working in tandem. The hand, the same consistency as the skin on his torso, resting on top of her chest. She lay a hand over it, her small moonlight one nestling in with his rough light-blue hand.

Kisame kissed her harder, his actions a bit rougher that before, just giving into the wants, not bothering with the consequences later.

In a flash, the two of them were down to the bare minimum, Kisame in his blue boxers, Hester in white cotton underwear. Kisame ran a hand over her thigh, thinking about her choice of color. It was perfect, really. Innocent, just like her. Therefore, they came off, as a representation of this night.

Hester's chest heaved, she felt as if she could never catch her breath. Everything was spinning at a break-neck pace. She grabbed onto Kisame's arms, willing for him to do something about her state.

He kissed her again, slipping out of the last bit of clothing he had left.

Hester's fingers tightened, she kissed him harder, trying to find a way to channel this pent up emotion.

She felt something warm brush the inside of her thigh, and she tried to cross her legs, surprised. Instead, her leg was intercepted by Kisame's own, and it was placed firmly back onto the bed, splayed apart from it's partner one.

'It's really going to happen, isn't it?' Hester wondered with a spinning mind. 'If you had asked me a month ago what I'd be doing, I would say reading. This is- something I wasn't expecting. Shit- I don't know if I-'

Her thoughts were cut short by her sudden movement to the headboard of the bed. They broke apart for a moment, Kisame's leg pushed him forward, splitting Hester's pair down the middle.

Hester looked at him with wild fear, possibly the most afraid she'd ever been in her whole life. One look at Kisame's face was enough to assure her that there was no going back, possibly not even if she begged. She tried once more to cross her legs, to put a stop to this, but it was once again stopped by Kisame's blocking the way between the two.

"Kisame- I love you."

He leaned forward, kissing her softly, and Hester had no choice, she simply held his arms tightly and waited for-

Kisame suddenly threw her onto the flat of the bed, diving deep into her.

'Shark attack' was all Hester could decipher from her bubbling thoughts.

Bright lights, flashing pain everywhere, two parts of a whole, it was all there inside the jumble of thoughts. Hester cried out, trying to move away from him, from the source of the crippling pain in the center of her, but he held her firmly, and she wondered why she had even tried.

His muscles rippled as he forced himself to be mindful of her in her fits of agony. He had to pace himself.

Hester held him tightly, clenching her jaw, trying to bite back a scream. The mixture of pain and pleasure was almost maddening in itself.

He was slow, gentle even, for the first few minutes, giving her time to adjust. Hester suddenly realized she wasn't in pain anymore, that the lingering pain was in her mind, and that it had been replaced by mind-blowing ecstasy.

"K-Kisame." She mumbled, digging her grip into the sides of his hardened arms.

He smirked, taking that as a green light.

Pushing her down into the bed, hands on her shoulders, straddling her, he went for the goal, not bothering to stop for a breather, focusing solely on her, nothing else.

The thick silence was quickly replaced by light cries and gasps, accompanied by weak remarks from the bed.

Hester was amazed, it was- shocking. He knew exactly where to hit, exactly how to hold her, it was almost like a bond of telepathy existed between them. He kissed her hard, sending her farther into the bed. Kisame was moving at a breath-taking pace, and Hester found herself unable to move.

"Say my name." Kisame growled in her ear, kissing her neck.

"Kisame.." She murmured.

He bit down on her sensitive spot, causing her to cry out.

"Kisame!" Waves of sensation washed over her, Hester felt the end approaching, starting in the pit of her stomach. The feeling began to intensify, and it drove her insane.

"Ah-God-"

"Hester, you're too tight-"

Kisame felt it as well, and pushed himself in as far as he could into the miniscule space, almost crushing her with his grip. Hester grabbed onto him, shaking slightly, fingernails digging into his back.

It came in a flash, a scream, names called out, uncaring to the rest of the world. Hester cried out, tangling her hands into his thick hair. He nearly crushed her in his grip, and she screamed his name again. He expanded, she compacted, it was poetry. Her first bit of poetry.

Kisame pulled himself out of her, kissing her again. Hester placed a small hand on his chest as he pulled her on top of him, feeling the small chest flatten onto his own. He ran a hand up her back, feeling the beating heart. Hester laid on him, feeling very warm.

"I- I love you, Kisame."

"…I love you too, Hester."

Hester beamed, loving to hear him say it.

Hester laid in bed, staring up at the textured rock ceiling. Kisame had already left to complete the mission, leaving her here, nude under the covers.

Her ghostly form stood out like a beacon in the dark room, marred only by the black outline of her glasses.

Sore, she rolled out of bed, determined to get something, she had yet to decide what, done around here.

After a few minutes of fruitless job-searching, she meandered into Konan's room, received by a faint smile.

"So, Hester, what happened last night?"

Hester felt her face turn bright red.

"Oh, what about last night?" Her calm voice was an intense juxtaposition with the shade of her face.

Konan smiled knowingly.

"Really? You think I can't see through that red face of yours?"

Hester only smiled lightly, and leaned back in the chair.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Konan laughed once.

"No reason, just heard to people going at it last night, that's all."

Hester managed to keep her head.

"Well, wonder who that could have been."

Konan shook her head, smiling.

Hester stood in the kitchen, fixing a snack, when a hand fell onto the cupboards directly next to her head.

She bit back a cry and glanced over to Deidara's face, inches from hers.

He leaned himself against the cabinets to her left, making personal space nothing but a myth.

"I know exactly what you did last night." He said coldly, the past friendly demeanor gone.

Hester raised an eyebrow, congratulating herself for keeping calm.

"Oh, really? What are you talking about?"

Deidara smirked.

"Kisame beat me to the punch, that bastard."

Hester laughed once through her nose and turned to leave, met by Deidara once again.

"So you'll sleep with him and not me? We've known each other for equal periods of time, I was _kind to you, Hester. Don't be so blind, can't you see? He's cold, unfeeling. I could give you what you want, Hester. I could be your support."_

_He pulled her closer to him, ignoring her attempts to shake him off._

"_Hester, why don't you understand? I could be good for you.""Get away from me." Hester said, a shocking icy coldness to her brushed it off and toyed with a lock of her hair, holding her very tightly._

"_Hester, Hester, Hester. Don't be so childish."_

"_Get off!" She cried, pushing against him harshly. His arm snapped to attention, almost crushing her in his vice-like grip._

"_Don't fuck with me, Hester. Don't you dare."_

_Hester ducked out from underneath his arm, pushing him backwards into the countertop, trying to make a break for the door._

_He snatched her recoiling arm and threw her into the cupboards he had leaned against only moments ago._

_Hester cried out as her head collided with the hard surface of the boards._

_The mouths on his hands bit into her wrists, and she cried out once again, trying to knee him in the gut. _

_He stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them, his hand-mouths still biting hard. _

"_Get off of her." Konan ordered, pulling Deidara backwards._

_He looked nonchalantly at her, a small smile plastered over his face._

"_Sure." He left._

_Hester still leaned against the counters, watching him go, feeling enthralled with fury. She rubbed the bite-marks on her wrists, feeling rivulets of blood pooling up._

_Others had gathered, Hester saw Zetsu, Itachi, and Tobi._

_Tobi ran to her, burying her into the folds of his cloak._

"_Tobi is so sorry, Hester-chan! Deidara is a very bad boy!"_

_Hester had to smile. "It's ok, Tobi, I'm fine."_

_Tobi rested his masked chin on top of her head, comforting her._

_Hester tried to lose herself in that moment. She was very aware of what would come next._

_Hester tossed and turned, feeling the same way as last night, save for one thing: It was for real this time. Kisame had already come back once, it wasn't going to happen again. Deidara was-_

_The door creaked open, and a cloth slipped over her face, muffling the scream she let out._

_Deidara's exposed blue eye looked back into her indigo one's, and he smiled._

_Kisame stepped into Hester's room, and was received by a warm hug. _

"_Haven't seen you in a while."_

_Kisame laughed once, tousling her hair. His tone suddenly became serious, and he held her out at an arms length._

"_Did he hurt you?" Kisame asked stonedly._

_Hester smiled lightly and held up her wrists, revealing the bite-marks that encircled each wrist._

"_It's all good, though. Pein-Sama sent him on a mission." _

_Kisame punched the wall, shattering the top layer of the rocks._

"_What else did he do to you?" He asked, furious._

_Hester looked at him steadily._

"_You know what else." _

_Kisame turned towards the opposite wall, seething in his own anger. "God- Damn it!" He shouted._

_Hester looked away, biting her lower lip, her cheerful façade broken, just like the rocks on the wall._

"_I-I'm sorry, Kisame." _

_Kisame looked back at her incredulously._

"_Sorry? Hester- this isn't your fault. It's him. I'm just sorry I didn't get to kill him myself."_

_Hester finally looked at him. "What do you mean?"_

_Kisame turned to her and looked her in the eye._

"_He's dead, Hester."_

"_W-What?" Her breath had left her, she refused to believe it was true. Deidara? Dead? No- No, it couldn't be. _

"_He died while trying to capture one of the tailed beasts."_

_Hester laughed once, then suddenly jumped into Kisame's arms._

"_I cant believe it!" She cried, ecstatic. It was like a dream. _

'_Karma strikes again.'_

_There was nothing more that Hester would have liked to hear than that the man who had violated her was dead. She hugged her Kisame tighter, content to stay just like this for a very long time._

"_Come with me." Kisame said, pulling her towards his room. _

_Hester looked up at him questioningly. "What's up?"_

_He glanced back at her, smirking. "Not much, making up for lost time."_

_She felt her cheeks turn pink and picked up her pace, walking at his side, feeling her hand intertwine with his._

"_Hester? Where are you, Hester?"_

_Tobi's voice rang through the Akatsuki lair. _

"_In here.." Hester groggily called._

"_Hester- Tobi- Tobi has to tell Hester something."_

_Hester sat up slowly, sleep still hovering over her in an omnipotent cloud._

"_What?"_

_Tobi hugged her suddenly._

"_Kisame-chan won't- be coming back."_

_Hester's entire body went cold._

"_W-What?"_

_Tobi looked at her. "Kisame-chan is dead."_

_Hester froze like that, feeling tears that threatened to break the surface._

"_Oh." Escaped from her._

_Tobi left the room, leaving Hester to herself._

_Dry-eyed, she stood and left shortly after, unable to sit in her sorrows._

_She walked blindly through the halls, looking very much like a ghost. A beautiful ghost. A tragically beautiful ghost._

_Hester stumbled into the kitchen, still numb from the shock, and she blurrily wondered how long the anesthesia would last._

_Hester bumbled into the wall, leaning against it, the only solid thing in her life, at the moment._

_Although the numbness eventually faded, she was unable to shed a single tear, only sat silently and pondered what to do with herself._

_Only now did she begin to miss her family, her friends, everyone back in the other world._

_The Akatsuki was falling apart, and with each deceased member, a bit of Hester's heart broke off, yet she did not cry one drop._

_Hester sat on the side of her bed, feeling the pulsating waves of pain that surged through her like an electric circuit. It was relief, finally, a feeling. She stood and paced into the kitchen, a routine now. Konan stood in the doorway, disgusting pity written over her face in dark black ink._

_Konan turned and left._

_Hester watched her leave, and walked out into the forest. It had been a month. One grueling month. Within that month, another three members had died. Itachi, Hidan, Kakuzu. Sasori was already dead. _

_It was unbearable._

_Hester fell to the forest floor and felt that age-old pain coarse through her veins. It was better than any drug she could have scrounged up, better than anything else she could do. It was a feeling, finally. Hester hadn't felt anything in so long, she wasn't sure if she could recognize the sensation anymore._

_Hester stared at the rushing river, remembering the time she had been able to spend with him. _

'_God damn it, Kisame. You left me here. What a selfish thing to do.'_

_Hester stood, feeling a new emotion: fury._

"_Why couldn't it have been me?" Hester screamed hoarsely, feeling herself begin to fall apart. _

"_Why?" She screamed again, feeling the tears begin to fall._

"_God- damn it!" She cried out, hitting a tree._

_The salt-water rushed down, the pipes finally breaking. Hester sank to the ground, clenching and unclenching the muscles in her jaw. _

"_Why?" She whimpered out._

_Hester walked out of the forest, tears dry on her face. She was looking for trouble, and by God she would find it._

_Hester traipsed into the village, looking at everyone who could possibly give her a good fight. _

_She scoured every alley-way, every bar, everywhere._

_She finally found what she had been looking for in an alley. Two men, talking loudly, weapons visible underneath open vests. They were beautiful in Hester's eyes, a solution to the problem that had haunted her for over a month._

"_Hey." She called bitterly, and swung a fist. It caught the first man off-guard, a tall, beefy man with a black goatee and tan colored leather vest, left open as an image of brazen-ness._

_The second man, lankier, bandana around his head, walked to her, aiming a swift punch to her head. _

_Acting purely on instinct, Hester ducked, slamming a fist into his hard gut._

_Something came over her, some sort of anxiety induced trance. She heard the second lanky man utter a groan and fall, and she turned to the first. He was rubbing his jaw, an angry red mark there from the punch._

"_Alright, bitch." He growled, lunging at her._

_Hester knew she was out-powered, and went down fighting. _

_He hovered over her, the cold blade kissing her jugular._

"_Hester." Someone called._

_Tears sprang to Hester's eyes at the voice, and she glanced over, seeing Kisame standing beside the man, or at least a blurry, cloudy image of Kisame._

_Hester stared at him, feeling tears coursing down._

"_Kisame?" She whispered._

_Kisame extended a hand to her._

_Hester hesitantly reached out and placed her small white one in his, and she felt a jolt- suddenly, she was floating, and she felt something that seemed so foreign. Hester clung to Kisame, bewildered. She glanced back, seeing a doppelganger of herself laying on the street beside the man, still, bloody._

_Hester stood beside Kisame, noticing that she too was becoming opaque._

_She gasped, flinching back from herself._

_Kisame caught her, bringing her into him._

"_It's ok. Hester, it's time to go, now."_

_Hester looked up at him._

"_What do you mean?"_

_Kisame smiled warmly._

"_Away. You coming?" He asked, standing a few paces away, hand outstretched to her._

_Hester looked at him, still shocked._

"_I- yes." Without hesitation, she took his hand, and followed him, unsure where she was going, unsure why, but it was beautiful. Simply beautiful. _


End file.
